Trial begins today for the undocumented migrant accused of murdering Laken Riley, whose death ignited a political firestorm

In the nine months since Laken Riley was killed while jogging at the University of Georgia, her death turned into a lightning rod over crime and illegal immigration and cast an ominous shadow over the college town of Athens.

In the nine months since Laken Riley was killed while jogging at the University of Georgia, her death turned into a lightning rod over crime and illegal immigration and cast an ominous shadow over the college town of Athens. Now, a judge will decide the fate of Jose Antonio Ibarra, the undocumented migrant charged with murder and aggravated assault with intent to rape in connection with Riley’s February 22 death. Ibarra, 26, waived his right to a jury trial during a court hearing this week. The outcome of the case will reverberate beyond the courtroom walls. Both Republicans and Democrats invoked Riley’s story at political events, and immigrant communities in Athens are divided over the vitriol. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University’s Athens campus, went for a morning jog in a wooded area of the UGA campus. Ibarra struck Riley in the head with a rock multiple times and asphyxiated her, according to his indictment. Ibarra, who’s from Venezuela, is also charged under Georgia’s “peeping Tom” law for allegedly going to a UGA apartment building on the same day as the murder, looking through the window and spying on a student, his indictment states. Ibarra was indicted on 10 counts: malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing a person making an emergency call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom, according to the indictment.